Course Orientation Notes: Key Points from Transcript
Course Materials, Textbooks, and Reading Plan
Fall 2025 course guide textbooks are available in the VT Bookstore. The instructor showed a white version; the bookstore version is maroon. When you click the Virginia Tech Bookstore link, the text will be accurate even if the image differs.
The course guide for Communication Skills features a Canvas photo and is maroon; it shows fall 2025 through spring 2026.
Textbooks were not available on Tuesday but are available now.
You may review textbook purchases for all classes. You can also purchase the textbook “Communication Matters” from another retailer, but the instructor recommends the digital version because of upcoming reading due mid-next week. Digital access is immediate or near-immediate, whereas print copies from retailers like Amazon may be delayed.
Question about texts? The instructor invites questions now.
Attendance and In-Class Procedures
Attendance pad: print your first and last name legibly so participation points can be recorded.
Pass the attendance sheet around to classmates; toward the back of the room you may sign it later if needed.
Course Calendar Overview and Early Assignments
Overview: review the calendar and jump into the first item, the Email Assignment.
The Instructor will walk through the prompts/goals for the email assignment and answer questions.
Introduction Letter: introduced briefly today; more depth next week.
Rough draft of the Introduction Letter due September 9. A walk-around workshop will occur: the instructor will spend ~1 minute per person reviewing formatting, including thesis, header, date, and signature, and offer suggestions to optimize the draft.
Between September 9 (rough draft) and September 16 (formal due date), students should optimize their assignment.
There are five formal assignments that constitute the majority of the course grade; quizzes and formal assignments are emphasized.
Academic Integrity: the Canvas module related to integrity is due on September 5 and can be completed any time.
Visual Intro Slides: due Friday at 11:59 PM; submissions can be Google Slides, PowerPoint, or Prezi; either a share link or a file accessible to the instructor; slides will be presented over approximately four class days.
Reminders outside class: today and tomorrow reminders, etc.
Important Deadlines and Administrative Windows
Friday: last day to add/drop a class (Drop/Add period) until 5:00 PM. Plan changes today or tomorrow.
Last day to drop with no transcript effect: October 7 (Tuesday).
Withdraw from a course: through the end of classes (December 10).
Recommended target: 15 credit hours per semester to graduate in four years; if not achieving 15, plan alternatives like heavier weeks (18 credits), summer/winter sessions, or transferring credits.
If you withdraw, you must make up the hours elsewhere; discuss with an adviser or after-class with the instructor.
Gobbler Fest: tomorrow, 4:00 PM–7:00 PM on the Drill Field. Expect 700+ booths, clubs, activities, food, swag, and potential concerts and a Ferris wheel. It’s a major early-semester opportunity to connect with student organizations and opportunities.
Weather: forecast currently looks clear.
Email Assignment: Overview and Best Practices
Assignment goal: compose an email to the instructor (Claire) following the prompts in the assignment sheet. Once sent, the most recent on-time submission will be graded.
On-time submission: aim to submit before 11:59 PM tonight; late submissions may still be graded but with penalties.
The instructor will review the assignment sheet in detail so students feel comfortable with submission.
Page reference: In the course guide, the relevant instructions are on page 19 (the lecturer notes a discrepancy: the PDF shows page 20; page 19 is the correct reference).
Complete answers to course guide page 19: you can annotate in the book, type notes, print and annotate, or summarize on a separate sheet. The goal is to become familiar with your self-assessment.
Page 19 has two sections:
Section 1: a chart with a confidence scale for items like “how comfortable are you writing a memo?” using checks: check minus, check, check plus. Honest self-assessment is the aim; there is no prize for perfect scores.
Section 2: discussion questions about expectations for the class and semester; answers should reflect what you want from the course, your goals, and your expectations.
Prompt for the email: describe one thing you learned about yourself from completing page 19.
The email assignment is a participation grade; there are ~30 participation activities in the semester. Missing or late submissions still leave room for earning a high overall score due to the volume of participation tasks.
Email Structure and Professionalism: Key Guidelines
Use Outlook with a VT.edu address (gt.edu is not appropriate; avoid using a personal Gmail for submission).
Include a subject line (e.g., Course Guide Question, or similar). Do not leave the subject blank.
Do not override block-style left alignment with indentation; avoid leading spaces or tabs.
Do not use abbreviations like LOL, TBH, LMK in academic emails; keep a polite tone.
A professional email should be polite and respectful, even when frustrated.
Greeting: start with a proper greeting and correct punctuation (e.g., Good afternoon, Hello, etc.).
Verify recipient’s name spelling to avoid misaddressing; misspelling can convey lack of care.
Do not confuse with the introduction letter format; emails use a different format from a formal business letter.
Do not have the email look like a text message; avoid overly casual phrasing.
The body should be concise with one idea per paragraph; use brief, direct language.
Include a friendly closing line before the signature (e.g., It’s great to meet you, I’m looking forward to working with you this semester).
Sign-off options: sincerely, thank you, respectfully, etc., followed by your name on the next line; include your signature block.
Email signature must include: first and last name, official major/title, graduation year, Virginia Tech, and Virginia Tech email address; avoid including PID or phone numbers.
Do not include your PID or personal identifiers in emails that are not VT-related securely; maintain privacy.
Example of a strong, professional email: includes a clear subject, greeting, body, a concluding friendly sentence, sign-off, and a proper signature.
You can use ChatGPT for proofreading, but do not let it generate the email content; your own voice should dominate to avoid detection of artificial writing.
When composing, aim for brevity and clarity; one idea per paragraph; limit length; use concise language rather than “flowered” prose.
Paragraphs should be brief, typically one body paragraph plus a concluding paragraph and a signature.
You will typically count lines (vertical) rather than sentences to measure paragraph length; e.g., seven lines max per paragraph in some examples.
The instructor will provide examples of a well-written vs. unprofessional message to illustrate best practices.
The email is due by 11:59 PM on the due date; submissions around 11:58 PM may arrive late due to delays; plan accordingly.
Outlook provides a way to set up a starter signature (name, major, graduation year, VT, vt.edu email). The signature should be four lines and follow the provided template precisely.
Email Signature Template and What to Include
Four-line starter signature (minimum):
Line 1: First and last name
Line 2: Official major/title and graduation year (e.g., XXX, Class of 20XX)
Line 3: Virginia Tech
Line 4: VT email address (e.g., yourname@vt.edu)
Do not include PID, phone number, dorm room, or residence hall information.
Do not include extraneous information in the signature; additional details may be included later but the four-line starter is essential.
Introduction Letter: Preview and Rules
The Introduction Letter will be covered in-depth next week; you should read the letter in advance to prepare.
The assignment uses a business-letter or block format approach for the introduction letter, not an email format.
The introduction letter should echo your visual intro and provide a richer sense of who you are, with a concise, one-idea-per-paragraph structure.
The letter should follow the Say It Well textbook template for guidance on the letter format (address, date, recipient address, etc.).
The Say It Well resource is linked on the calendar; the end of Chapter 1 includes a template for a business letter.
In a business letter, the sender’s address appears first, followed by the date, then the recipient’s address (in a real letter; for security, the instructor will use VT as the address in class exercises).
For your introduction letter, you will effectively address you to the instructor rather than printing a full campus address; VT is used for security in class examples.
The introduction letter emphasizes visual organization and clarity; practice with one idea per paragraph and short paragraphs (e.g., seven-line maximum per paragraph).
A quick trick to spot multiple ideas in a paragraph: search for the word "also"; if present, there may be more than one idea in the paragraph.
The instructor acknowledges that students may have different writing styles, but for class assignments, practice with the visual organization method to improve readability.
Support resources: the Say It Well text provides a business-letter template to follow for accuracy on order of address, date, and signature.
The instructor will discuss early drafting and phrasing in class; there will be opportunities for feedback and revision.
Academic Integrity Module: Details and Expectations
Required Canvas module covers academic integrity concepts including cheating, plagiarism, and complicity.
Enrollment: click Enroll in the course; access the module; complete the pretest, four lessons, and a posttest after each lesson.
Posttest: must achieve 80% or higher to earn the credential (20/25 or 25 questions, depending on the attempt). The credential badge appears under Credentials, with a green check when complete.
If you’ve already completed this module for another class this semester, you can reuse the confirmation; screenshots or email confirmations are acceptable evidence.
The module takes roughly ~30 minutes, but it may vary by person; plan accordingly and make sure to complete by the due date: September 5.
The module explains the difference between cheating and collaboration and clarifies what constitutes complicity (e.g., sharing graded quizzes, allowing others to copy your work).
You need to safeguard your degree; sharing quizzes or help that enables someone else to cheat could result in a course failure under the honor code.
Visual Intro Slides: Submission Details and Sharing
Visual intro slides are due Friday by 11:59 PM; acceptable formats: Google Slides link, PowerPoint, or Prezi; share as a link or accessible file.
If using Google Slides, ensure you share it so the instructor can access (e.g., share with Claire86@vt.edu or set link to Anyone with the link).
If access is denied (e.g., “halt” message), adjust sharing settings to ensure access for the instructor.
On Canvas, locate the Visual Intro assignment and upload the file or provide a web URL; ensure the correct link/access to avoid late submissions.
When using Google Slides, remember to set Sharing permissions properly; failure to share may result in late credit or no credit.
Tuesday Class Plan and Additional Topics
Tuesday’s class will include three mini-sections: several visual intro submissions, more discussion about the intro letter, and drafting strategies.
Page reference for intro letter is in the course guide (page 28); the instructor’s example letter is to be read beforehand.
The instructor will discuss phrasing to avoid and advising options as you prepare your drafts.
A reminder about the academic integrity module due on Friday next week (September 5) and the university-wide etiquette for classroom behavior.
Business Horizons Career Fair is set for September 3 and 4 (Wednesday and Thursday, 10:00 AM–3:00 PM). Attending is encouraged but not at the expense of class attendance; it can count as a “grace day” if used.
The instructor emphasizes that class time is a priority for GPA and long-term goals; going to the career fair is valuable, but not to the exclusion of class commitments.
The session ends with a time for questions and sign-out reminders; those who haven’t signed their attendance sheet should do so on the way out after the three-day weekend.
General Tips and Reminders
Bring a backpack to Gobbler Fest to collect swag and materials.
Download any maps or drill sheets via calendar links to get oriented with locations (e.g., War Memorial, the eight pylons, ferris wheel, and campus geometry).
If you’re unsure about a sharing setting for a Google Slide, test by emailing a copy to yourself to confirm how your name appears.
The instructor’s practical advice includes: use a single focus per paragraph, avoid overly long paragraphs, and learn to count lines rather than sentences to gauge length.
The course emphasizes concise language and direct communication; excessive, flowery prose is discouraged in formal class writing.
The instructor’s approach to grading emphasizes that mistakes on participation tasks are allowed and that the overall grade is robust due to multiple opportunities.
Helpful Notes on Common Questions
Map and color codes for Gobbler Fest:
Maroon: social and cultural
Orange: engineering, science, business, ag, liberal arts
Green: service, civic, space
Purple: performance, design, technology, gaming and arts
The map includes notable landmarks: War Memorial Gym, eight pylons, the pond, residential areas, Ferris Wheel near Burris, and a drop-off point for swag distribution.
When you are unsure about a link in the calendar, try the daily calendar user path or contact the instructor for a refreshed link.
If you are new to Canvas: show by date or show by type to see upcoming due dates; the Visual Intro assignment can be found here and includes a preview of submission options.
Final Preparations and Closing Thoughts
Plan ahead to complete the academic integrity module by the due date and ensure you receive your credential badge.
Prepare for the Visual Intro presentations by ensuring your slides are accessible and properly shared to the instructor.
Start early on the Email Assignment by reviewing page 19 (course guide) and drafting a concise, well-structured message.
Remember: you are aiming for one idea per paragraph in the introduction letter and email; practice concise language, proper punctuation, and a respectful tone.
If you have advising questions about credits, drop/add deadlines, or course planning, stay after class or set an appointment with your adviser.
The next class will continue with the introduction letter, more email drafting practice, and discussion of advising and etiquette; enjoy Gobbler Fest and the start of the semester responsibly.